Handbag of plastic



Oct. 28, w J REILLY I HANDBAG 0F PLASTIC Filed Sept. 21, 1945 Patentedoet. 28, 1947 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HANDBAG F PLASTIC William J. Reilly, Taunton, Mass.

Application September 21, 1945, Serial No. 617,724

4 Claims. 1

The invention relates to handbags of the kind usually carried by ladies.

A purpose of the invention is to provide such a bag which will be ornamental and attractive and readily kept c can. The bag may have a permanent shape or form so that its interior will be suitable for receiving articles in sucha way they may not become unduly crushed or marred or displaced. A purpose is to provide a bag whose outer walls are of plastic of a suitable character to be stiff enough to form the sustaining or outer members to constitute the means for supporting the bag in proper desired contour. The plastic may be relatively thick so that it will not readily deform or lose its original shape. The plastic outer walls of the bag may be plain or ornamental and may be transparent so that through them or some of them may be seen the material of a lining or layer intermediate the plastic and the lining. This portion of the bag, visible through the plastic, may be plain or colored or ornamented in any suitable manner so as to give a suitable pleasant appearance to the bag. So as to add to the beauty and usefulness of the bag means may be provided for holding the inner material in more or less the same form as the outer plastic wall and in relatively close contact therewith.

The outer plastic wall may be mounted in the usual U-shaped frame for opening and closing the bag and for access to its interior. Since the plastic may be rigid and unyielding, its edges adjacent the hinge of the U-shaped frame might engage and interfere with the opening of the hinge. In order to avoid this, it may be desirable to omit a portion of the plastic so as to leave a slot from hinge to hinge along the open end of the U of the frame. The bag may he held in any convenient position but for convenience this open end of the frame may be referred to as at the bottom of the bag. This opening may make a break in the integrity of the outer wall of the bag but this may be closed so that the contents of the bag will not protrude or fall out by arranging the lining or inner decorative layer or both so as to cross over the slot and close it.

The specific details of the bag material, con-, struction and shape or form may not be essential but, in order to better explain the invention, one embodiment of it is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of one form of bag embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 of the bag in closed position. Fig. 4 is a similar transverse section showing the bag in open position. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section at the hinge portion.

The specific form or shape of the bag is immaterial to the invention. The bag may include the usual U-form l0 customary in ladies bags, which may be made of metal or other suitable material. Attached to this may be the usual handle ll. frame member are joined together by hinges l2 at each end of the bag in the usual manner. The bag itself consists of plastic I3 which is underlaid with an inner member I4 which preferably will be of an ornamental character and be visible through the plastic member 3 which may be transparent. A stiffening liner member l5 may underlie the element [4 and hold it throughout its area in substantial contact with the outer plastic member IS. The member l5 may be of such material as to form the inner lining of the bag itself, but it may be desirable to have within it an additional wearing or lining member l6 which may form the interior of the bag.

It will be understood, of course, that all of these members may extend the entire inner surface of the bag, top, sides, and bottom and ends. All of. the members l3, l4, l5, 16 may be grasped and held in place at their edges by the sides or members I! and I8 of the U-shaped frame Ill in a manner well known in the art and as shown clearly in Fig. 4. Since the outer plastic member I3 is not flexible, it might be impossible to open the bag and, in order to take care of opening the bag, a portion of the outer member 13 is cut away at IS in the middle of the bottom of the bag extending from one hinge member ii to the other hinge member l2. Thus, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the bag may be opened without deforming or crushing the outer plastic layer. In order to limit opening movement of the bag, there may be provided on its inside the usual bellows limiting members 20. The ornamental member I4 and the lining member l6 may, however, be unbroken and extend across the slot or opening l9 to keep the bag permanently and continuously closed. The stiflening member IE will preferably be broken or cut away at the slot I9 so that it may not be deformed or crushed when the bag is opened.

The invention may be embodied in structures involving other details of construction.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a hand bag, two members hinged together to form a U-shaped frame, transparent plastic outer rigid form members held by each hinged The two portions of the U-shaped ber crossing and closing the slot, and stiffening material between the lining member and intermediate member holding the intermediate member in contact with the plastic members so it is visible therethrough.

2. In a hand bag, two members hinged together to form a U-shaped frame, transparent plastic outer rigid form members held by each hinged member but being out of engagement with each other at the open bottom end of the U-shaped frame and forming an open slot, an inner lining member, an intermediate member between the inner lining member and the outer plastic members, the inner lining and intermediate members crossing and closing the slot, and means for holding the intermediate member in contact with the plastic members so it is visible therethrough.

3. In a handbag, two members hinged together to form a U-shaped frame, transparent plastic outer rigid form members held by each hinged member but being out of engagement with each other at the open bottom end of the U-shaped frame and forming an open slot, an inner lining member, an intermediate member between the inner lining member and the outer plastic members, the inner lining member crossing and closing the slot, and means for holding the intermediate member in contact with the plastic mem bers so it is visible therethrough.

4. In a handbag, two members hinged together to form a U-shaped frame, transparent plastic outer rigid form members held by each hinged member but being out of engagement with each other at the open bottom end of the U-shaped frame and forming an open slot, an inner lining member, anintermediate member between the inner lining member and the outer plastic members, the intermediate member crossing and closing the slot, and means for holding the intermediate member ini contact with the plastic members so it is visible therethrough.

WILLIAM J. REILLY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 286,118 Craighead Oct. 2, 1883 1,274,003 Christie July 30, 1918 1,332,269 OByrne Mar. 2, 1920 1,718,947 Chilson July 2, 1929 1,841,971 Morris Jan. 19, 1932 2,020,470 Landis Nov. 12, 1935 2,374,940 Kemmler et a1 May 1, 1945 2,377,717 Reilly June 5, 1945 2,390,125 Schade e Dec. 4, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 319,594 Italy July 14, 1934 

